Skagit Valley College
Learning Communities—At the Core
of the College Curriculum
Skagit Valley College (SVC) has been a pioneer in learning community work, offering learning communities since 1986. Students completing a transfer degree must complete two integrative learning courses, most of which are team-taught linked courses. They can also be an "integrative experience," a non-learning community curricular or co-curricular experience designed by faculty or the student in which students demonstrate their ability to integrate information, concepts, analytical frameworks, and/or skills in a purposeful way.
Counseling-enhanced learning communities: Supporting students new to college
Approximately half of new students at SVC test into developmental English and 90% test into developmental math. In recent years, the "C or better" pass rate for developmental math students has averaged 65%. As part of a goal to improve student success in developmental classes, the college started a new program to address the needs of the most academically challenged students in developmental education programs. In these learning communities, counseling faculty are an integral part of the teaching team, working with teaching faculty to incorporate college readiness skills into developmental coursework. In a 2007-08 research study conducted by the college, student retention in counselor-enhanced learning communities increased to 82%, compared to 74% in stand-alone developmental courses and 76% in other developmental learning communities.
Reading Between the Numbers: Students examine the research behind learning communities
A recent counseling-enhanced developmental learning community at SVC—Reading Between the Numbers—shows that first-year and developmental college students can develop college-level academic skills especially if the learning environment is intellectually challenging and relevant. This ten-credit learning community, combining developmental math (pre-algebra) with developmental English (grammar), teaches students to apply reading skills and math concepts to help them set up and solve math problems. Students in the program were assigned foundational readings on learning community research and practice at the college, including an article in Hispanic Outlook and a peer-reviewed article from the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College. Students developed questions for the authors and used actual college data to examine the role of learning communities at SVC and the progress of students who participate in them.
As part of a Department of Education grant, focus groups were conducted with students participating in counseling-enhanced developmental learning communities providing the college with valuable information about the advantages of this approach. As a result of several years of research, the college has now adopted this model for developmental learning communities and courses.
More information
Learning communities at SVC
Counseling-enhanced learning communities
- Description
- Presentation
- Integrative assignment: Here and Now (Reading 97 and English 97)
- Department of Education site visit report
Reading Between the Numbers
- Integrative Assignment: Reading 97 and Math 96
- Reading - Grant overview for counseling-enhanced developmental learning communities
- Reading - Hispanic Outlook article: CSSE study shows engaged students move to the top
- Reading - Journal of Applied Research in the Community College article: Assessing student outcomes in learning communities Subscribe
